Philip Townsend by Kate Cross

Words such as “awesome” and “genius” are, in my opinion, used a little too freely. So I have given much careful consideration before using the word “genius” to describe Philip Townsend. For the moment you are going to have to trust me on this, but I intend to back it up – the man is pure genius!

As a child of the Sixties and the youngest of four siblings, I recognize many of Philip’s images and recall the excitement they brought about; my sister going all dizzy over The Beatles; my elder brothers getting all rebellious and growing their hair like the Rolling Stones. Having been fortunate enough to be invited to the launch party of Philip’s new book “Sorry You Missed the Sixties” at the Photographers Lounge in Swanage, I relished the opportunity to study some of these original prints up close. I spent a lot of time (and money!) honing my own darkroom skills, but it still gives me the shivers to see the product of a true master.

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I managed to sneak away from the beach during Easter’s family visit to Swanage and popped round to the Photographers Lounge. After fifteen minutes or so of chatting with Kate, apart from leaving with the usual inspiration to grab the camera and go be creative, I also learned some exciting news…

The Philip Townsend Archive, a collection of photographs taken by celebrated 60s photographer Philip Townsend, documenting Sixties London in full swing and capturing some of the most iconic faces of the era, will make a rare public appearance at the Photographers Lounge in Dorset throughout June and July 2009. His unique collection of shots includes rock stars, society darlings, models and the political movers and shakers of the day. The rescued works, hidden for forty years, are now being sought by magazines and newspapers throughout the world, by galleries like the National Portrait Gallery, and by collectors. The reason is simple: Philip Townsend’s pictures are the Sixties.

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Acquisition and exhibition of a leading name in the Swedish history of photography.

From 15 January to 30 August 2009 the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm will be exhibiting portraits by Hans Hammarskiöld. Born in 1925, Hammarskiöld is one of the leading names in Swedenâ??s photographic history and his work is internationally recognized. During his lifetime he has undertaken varied roles and has worked in most genres of photography. In the 1950s, for example, he contributed to the fashion magazine Vogue. In conjunction with the coming exhibition, the Swedish National Portrait Gallery has acquired a number of Hammarskiöldâ??s photographic portraits and, accordingly, the focus of the exhibition is on portraiture.

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One of the best ever Internet inventions, for me at least, has to be StumbleUpon. Recently whilst using StumbleUpon, I have become aware of an increasing number of Russian photographers and photographic sites. Unfortunately, much of the content of the sites is fairly inaccessible to me (I don’t read Russian), but a lot of the images are monochrome which is of particular interest to me.

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Ansel Adams is one of my all time favourite photographic heroes. He was truly a master of light and (although completely the opposite to how I enjoy taking photographs) his incredibly detailed, scientific approach to the craft was nothing short of genius.

I often spend hours studying his photographs and love to read about how he achieved his awe inspiring photos.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to have found an interactive presentation of a selection of his Yosemite photographs with narration supplied by his former assistant Andrea Stillman. Itâ??s enlightening, very entertaining and if youâ??re even the slightest bit interested in Anselâ??s work you should head on over and take a look:

Ansel Adams’s Yosemite – by The New York Times.

If you have a couple of minutes, read this article on the BBC website. If you have a few more minutes, visit the Magnum Photos website and read a little more about this great photographer.

Be inspired.

In 1954, Robert Capa died still believing that the negatives he left behind in his Paris studio when he fled the Nazi invasion had been lost forever.

The New York Times has published the story of how Capa’s negatives resurfaced and the implications of the discovery. One of the most intriguing elements of the story is the question of whether Capa’s arguably most famous photograph (Death of a Loyalist Soldier) was actually “faked” and the hope that these negatives may answer this once and for all.

It is a fascinating story.

Okay, so this is not actually a book review, on account of the book not yet being published. But I’m really excited with the anticipation of getting my hands on a copy the second it is available. I’m hoping I can pass the excitement on to a few more people.

Karsh was (in my humble opinion) a true master of the art of portrait photography. His images of such icons as Churchill (Karsh took away his cigar!) and Einstein (in a sweater!) are sublime. I choose these two examples because the photographs are icons in their own right, making them almost icon squared, if you see what I mean.

I’m always a little envious of those who have the opportunity to photograph such universally recognizable people, but I don’t believe that makes it any easier to take a brilliant portrait. If anything, it probably makes it even harder, with expectations being that much higher.

Anyway, Karsh – right at the top of the heap (with a few other heroes), so do yourself a favour and get hold of this book as soon as you can. And someone, somewhere, put on an exhibition of his work and let me know about it.